Introduction
The Cargobase API is organized around REST. Resource-oriented URLs, JSON request and response bodies, and standard HTTP verbs and status codes keep integrations predictable—whether you are booking freight, exchanging tracking events, or automating invoices.
Just getting started? Begin with Getting started, request a token via Get API access, then try a call in the Shipper or Provider reference.
Prefer a machine-readable contract? Every collection exposes OpenAPI and Postman downloads from the reference—use them for codegen, CI checks, or offline exploration.
Coding with an AI agent? Download the autonomous API agent guide from the Shipper or Provider overview—a self-contained Markdown brief for implementing the API without human help.
Base URL
https://pluto.cargobase.comProduction. For integration testing, use https://sandbox.cargobase.com.
Authenticate against the same environment as your token. Paths such as /api/1/… (partner APIs) and /api/4.0/… (Operations) are relative to that host.
How requests work
Authenticate with an API token on the Authorization header. Send JSON unless an operation documents otherwise (for example multipart uploads). Responses are JSON-encoded. Work on one resource per request; the API does not support bulk updates in a single call.
Exact shapes and required fields live in the interactive reference. These guides explain the ideas you’ll need before you open that explorer—credentials, environments, failure modes, and webhooks. For a worked example of wiring those calls into a TMS, see Projects.
Explore by topic
- Getting startedHow the APIs fit together, who they’re for, and the fastest path from credentials to your first successful request.
- Get API accessHow shippers and providers request Sandbox or Production API tokens from Cargobase—and what to do once they arrive.
- AuthenticationAttach your token to requests, and understand how shipper, provider, and staff credentials differ.
- EnvironmentsUse Production at pluto.cargobase.com for live traffic, or Sandbox for integration testing—and always match the host to your token.
- ErrorsInterpret HTTP status codes, read error payloads, and recover gracefully when a call doesn’t succeed.
- WebhooksReceive asynchronous events—such as tracking updates—at an HTTPS endpoint you control.